Childhood Curiosity
by Dragon's Shadow
Summary: Oneshot dedicated to LonelyRage's friend. Negi wonders what 3-A does whenever he's not around, so with a fellow mage's help, he disguises himself as a girl and infiltrates the class, but not as any girl; he's posing as Chao Lingshen! What'll happen?


**Chao: So, Lunar-kun. What's this story about this time?**

**Lunar: Well, Maya, one of LonelyRage's friends, won the right to have me do a Negima oneshot of her choice.**

**Chao: Oh. So, that's why you're having Negi being curious about 3-A's actions and disguising himself as a girl.**

**Lunar: But not an ordinary girl. You.**

**Chao: ME!? What for?**

**Lunar: I just wanted to. And you weren't there anymore. Is that a problem?**

**Chao: No, but it seems weird. Having my ancestor pose as me is creepy…**

**Lunar: Don't worry about it; just enjoy the story.**

_**Childhood Curiosity**_

One random day, Negi Springfield was grading some papers 3-A had submitted when something Asuna had written caught his eye.

_"Man, everyone behaves so differently whenever Negi-bozu isn't around,"_ she wrote.

That got Negi thinking. "What exactly does 3-A do when I'm not around?" he thought.

Several scenarios went through his head: _Ayaka and Asuna getting along, Satsuki making a buffet for the class, Setsuna and Konoka making out in the corner, Natsumi performing for the class, Haruna showing off one of her yaoi hentai mangas, Hakase blowing up the class with another one of her projects…_ Oh, the list goes on…

Negi then decided that he really wanted to know what went on when he wasn't around. But how would he? Who could he ask for help? Definitely not a member of Ala Alba; he wasn't sure if they'd tell him the real answer. Kotaro would be useless in this area. Takahata and Takane wouldn't help him out, probably saying that it's none of Negi's business.

Then the right person came to mind! He knew of someone who taught the high school girls. He was the same age as 3-A, was a prodigy like Negi, and was also a mage, so Negi knew he'd help out.

The next day, as the high school was letting out, he found the person he was looking for in his classroom enjoying a snack. Negi entered the classroom.

The teacher looked up and saw Negi.

"Ah, the famous Negi Springfield. To what do I owe this visit?" he asked.

"You wouldn't happen to be Draco Crescent, would you?" Negi asked.

"Yes, I am. I assume you need me for something?" Draco replied.

Negi went on to explain his problem to Draco.

"Ah, I see. You know, I have a connection to 3-A. You know Chao Lingshen?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, she was one of my students. Too bad about what she did at the festival. I'm sad that she left," replied Negi.

"Well, we were great friends. I had even fallen for her. I was planning on telling her how I felt at the Mahora Festival, but as you know, she did her thing and she left before I could confess. I never even got to say goodbye…" said Draco, a tear in his eye.

"I'm sorry," consoled Negi.

"It's okay. Anyways, I'd be more than willing to help out Chao's supposed ancestor! I actually have something that'll help you out!" said Draco.

"Really?" Negi asked.

Draco nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of orange pills.

"What are those?" Negi asked.

"Well, when I figured out exactly how much Chao meant to me, I developed these to help me figure out more about her. They're based on the Age-Changing pills. When you devour one, you'll instantly transform into Chao Lingshen for the next twelve hours," said Draco.

"WHAT!?" replied Negi. "You developed a magical pill that'll temporarily transform whoever consumes it into a perfect duplicate of one of my students, specifically my descendant!? I hope you didn't use this for anything perverted!"

"NO!" Draco explained. "I'd never do that! Only to get more info about Chao! Of course there was that one time when I had to go to the baths with Ku-san…" Draco saw that Negi was fuming.

"Whoa! Hold it! We wore swimsuits!" Draco quickly added.

Negi could tell that he was telling the truth, so he calmed down.

"So, this'll turn me into Chao-san for twelve hours?" Negi asked. Draco nodded. "But then how would I use it and what would be my cover story?"

"Just leave everything to me," Draco answered. "Meet me back here at 6 AM tomorrow with a perfect duplicate of Chao's outfit. You know, shoes, uniform, hair ties, the unmentionables, and whatever else is necessary."

"Okay then," Negi replied.

The next morning, Negi, with the required items in hand, returned to Draco's classroom.

"Ah, so you've shown up. Are you positive you want to go through with this?" Draco asked.

Part of Negi was disturbed that he'd temporarily be a girl, his descendant no less. However, his childhood curiosity as to what 3-A does when he's not around got the better of him.

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied Negi.

"Okay then. Here's what's going to happen. Your class will think you've gone to a conference for the day. I'll be subbing for you class. You, as Chao, will show up, claiming that you needed to be in class for one more day for the dean to transfer your grades. Don't worry; I've informed the staff of this, so they won't jump you. Believe it or not, each of us have been through the same thing you're about to experience at some point in our careers. Even the Dean," Draco detailed.

"Most of the class will buy that, but what about my partners, those who know of magic, Eva-san, and Hakase-san?" Negi asked.

"That did worry me for a bit, but I have an excuse you could use. Claim that you just wanted to see everyone one last time before returning to your time permanently," said Draco.

"Seems reasonable," said Negi. "So, I'm guessing that I change into these clothes now, then consume the pill, right?"

"Right," said Draco as he handed Negi the orange pill. "I'll be outside the room if you need me. Oh, and be a nice boy and don't look at Chao's naked body. That'd be indecent." He then stepped out of the room.

About fifteen minutes later, while Draco was eating breakfast, the door to his classroom opened and Chao Lingshen stepped out the door.

"Wow, I'm impressed," 'Chao' exclaimed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that I was Chao Lingshen herself!"

"Well, I'm glad you like it," said Draco. "Now, all you have to do is mimic Chao's personality and your good to go."

"I can handle that," Negi replied. "So, what do we do now?"

"We head to your class," said Draco. "And wait for it all to begin."

The two then went to the classroom. Draco went to Negi's desk to take a short nap while Negi went to Chao's seat and sat down. Three different thoughts were going through his head: would the class believe that he's Chao, remembering everything he knew about Chao to get her down pat, and what exactly would the class do in his absence?

About ten minutes after they arrived, the door opened and none other than Chao's best friend, Ku Fei, entered the classroom. She saw that Draco was asleep at Negi's desk. She started poking Draco until he woke up.

"Huh?" he said, and then noticed Ku. "Oh, hi Ku-san."

"Hi, Draco-sensei. Why you at Negi's desk, aru?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm subbing for Negi-kun for the day. And I think someone would be excited to see you," answered Draco, pointing somewhere.

Ku looked in the direction Draco was pointing and saw 'Chao Lingshen' sitting there. Ku immediately squealed.

Negi was still deep in thought and didn't notice Ku come in, but the squeal brought him back to reality in the form of him falling to the floor. Ku ran up to him.

"CHAO!" Ku shouted, hugging Negi tight. "You back, aru! But how? Why?"

"Hey, Ku," replied 'Chao'. "Well, I'm only back for one day, and I wanted to spend it with 3-A."

"Oh," said Ku. "Well, you must spend whole day with me, aru!"

"Okay then," Negi replied, secretly grateful that he succeeded in fooling someone into thinking he's Chao.

Negi then peppered Ku with questions about 3-A and what they've been up to, but all the answers she gave him, he already knew.

A few minutes later, the mass known as 3-A flooded into the classroom. Suffice to say, everyone was surprised to see Chao Lingshen in the classroom. Some were excited to see her, others were purely shocked, and yet others were ready to pound her into dust.

Haruna, Setsuna, and Chisame were ready to pound the curious Negi into pulp when Draco intervened.

"Hold it, ladies!" shouted Draco. "Chao-san isn't here looking for a fight! She's here to fulfill her graduation requirements and to see 3-A one last time. Now back down, or I'll have Ayaka-san choose your punishment!"

Haruna, Setsuna, and Chisame reluctantly took their seats while Ayaka evilly laughed, scheming the perfect punishment for anyone Draco deemed necessary; she hoped he'd pick Asuna. Draco went on to start teaching the class. Meanwhile, Eva sat in the back, only one thought going through her mind: _"What the hell is that brat of a teacher trying to accomplish by disguising himself as the Lingshen girl? Oh well; I don't care."_ With that, she went to sleep.

For half an hour, Draco taught the class. Negi was closely observing 3-A. As far as he could tell, everyone was acting as usual. No change at all. He was starting to think this was a waste of time and effort.

He felt a poke on his shoulder and turned to see Kaede.

"Why are you frowning, de gozaru?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Kaede-san," Negi replied back.

Kaede then leaned over to Negi's ear and whispered, "May I ask why you're impersonating Chao, Negi-bozu?"

Negi's eyes widened at the shock of the news.

"Don't worry. I know it's none of my business, so I won't press further; I won't tell anyone who you really are, but I must admit, I wish I had such a technique in my arsenal. Just know that I'll help bail you out if that becomes necessary," Kaede whispered

Negi sighed a sigh of relief. He thought he'd be busted. He can only imagine what Asuna would do to him, should he be caught…

Just then, a phone went off.

"Whoops! That's my phone! I'll be back in a minute," said Draco. He then stepped out of the room for a minute. Everyone was quiet. Draco then reentered the classroom.

"Sorry, you guys, but an emergency has come up and I need to leave. Since there are no other teachers available to take over, I ask that Chao-san take over for the rest of the day. I apologize for this and enjoy your day," Draco explained. And then he ran out the door.

All eyes turned to Negi, trying to figure out what will happen.

"Eh… Well, since I'm back for only one day, let's do whatever the heck we want," said Negi.

Everyone was happy to hear that. Ayaka pulled out a remote and pressed a button. With the exception of Eva's little area, the whole room changed. The windows were covered and the door was blocked. Bright lights filled the room. The chairs were replaced with stools. Card and craps tables and slot machines replaced desks. A karaoke stage appeared in the corner. Negi's desk became a cocktail bar. A non-alcoholic one, mind you. In an instant, 3-A's classroom became a casino!

Negi was absolutely amazed at what was going on. He never considered this possibility. This was the greatest thing he ever saw. Suddenly, Ku began tugging on his arm.

"Chao! Play cards with me!" she shouted, dragging Negi to one of the card tables.

Ayaka, Chizuru, Kaede, Mana, and Kazumi were at the table, waiting for hands to be dealed. Ku and Negi joined them. Negi was shocked to see Zazie was the dealer. She then shuffled the deck and delt two cards to each player.

"Alright, the name of the game is Texas Hold-em," said Zazie.

Negi smirked. He played this game with Anya and Nekane all the time back in Wales. He knew this game like the back of his hand.

"So what's the ante? Yen? Meal tickets? Favors?" Negi asked.

Everyone at the table started laughing.

"Chao-san, you've been gone longer than I thought," said Ayaka. "We wager our clothes."

"C…Clothes???" Negi stuttered. "…As in strip poker?"

Ayaka nodded and it took everything Negi had not to have a nosebleed. He wanted to flee, but if he did, he'd be busted. So, he put his game face on and vowed to win, if only so Asuna and Draco wouldn't kill him for flaunting Chao's naked body around.

_Sixteen hands later…_

Negi was rather content with himself. He was also trying not to nosebleed and faint. While he may have lost Chao's shoes, jacket, skirt, and outer shirt, _("Thank goodness I decided to wear an extra shirt and some shorts, or I'd be in underwear!"_ Negi thought.) he managed to strip the other girls down to nothing!

"Looks like we have a winner!" Zazie announced. "Your prize: one hundred meal tickets!"

Zazie handed the tickets to Negi. He was so happy that he cleaned up at the table. Two arms then hugged him.

"Great job, Chao!" Ku shouted.

"Why don't you take these tickets, Ku?" Negi suggested. "I won't be needing them!"

"Thanks, Chao!" Ku gleefully shouted.

As the two of them put their clothes back on, Negi was rather happy he was the student today and not the teacher. He then wondered what he should do next. Ku then dragged him over to the karaoke area where the class band, Dekopin Rocket, was giving a performance. Negi loved hearing Ako, Misa, Madoka, and Sakurako perform.

"They're brilliant. I bet they get a record deal," he thought.

"You okay, Chao? You different today, aru," said Ku.

"I'm fine, Ku. Don't worry. I'm just reminiscing. And making sure I don't forget a moment of this," Negi replied.

"Good. I worried about you," said Ku. "Can I tell you something, aru?"

"Sure, but let's get something to drink," Negi suggested.

They went over to the bar and Negi was amused that Asuna, of all people, was the barista.

"What can I do for the two of you?" she asked.

"Two root beers, aru!" Ku ordered.

Asuna produced the ordered drinks and gave them to Ku and Negi. Negi then turned to face Ku.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" he asked.

"Well, it two things, aru," answered Ku. "I missed you lots, Chao. You and me best friends. It hurt seeing you go. Even though you back for one day only, I'm happy."

Negi felt rather touched that his own selfish desires brought joy to one of his classmates. He took a sip, then said, "I feel the same way. I wish I could stay with you guys, but I can't. I'm sorry. But I intend to make this day as memorable as possible for you, Ku."

"Thanks Chao," Ku replied as she drank.

"So, what was the second thing you wanted to tell me?" Negi asked.

"Well… you remember me saying I like someone, aru?" said Ku.

Negi blushed. He couldn't believe that Ku was about to tell him who she had a crush on. He nodded, playing along.

"Well, I never told anyone who I liked. But, I tell you," whispered Ku. "Honestly, I fallen for Negi-bozu since I teach him martial arts. He's smart, mature, determined, a gentleman, cute, caring, friendly, and so much more…"

Negi turned deep red. He knew that Nodoka, Yue, Ayaka, and Makie liked him. He also knew that Ako liked him, but only as a teenager.

_"Now Ku likes me as well!?"_ his thoughts screamed.

Negi managed to pull himself together. Asuna popped into the conversation.

"So, you like Negi-bozu? Well, you're not the first one," said Asuna.

"I know," said Ku. "He has many admirers. I just random student. He not notice me. Negi-bozu pay attention to beautiful girls, like Nodoka-san, Ayaka-san, Makie-san, Yue-san, and even you, Asuna-san."

"That's not true!" Negi shouted. Both Ku and Asuna were surprised at 'Chao's' outburst.

"You're a wonderful girl, Ku. You're strong, skilled, determined, hilarious, hard working, a great friend, respectful, trustworthy, and loyal. Any guy would be foolish not to see that," Negi listed.

He then realized what he had said. Normally, he'd never do such a thing.

_"Where'd that come from?"_ Negi thought. _"Is…Is it possible that I like her as well?"_ He then blushed some more.

"I couldn't of put it better myself, Chao-san," added Asuna. "She's right, Ku. You're all that and more. You should go tell Negi how you feel. Don't be like Yue and bottle your emotions, Ayaka and be flamboyant, Makie and overbearing, or Nodoka and afraid to take it further. Go for it! I think you might be the one to do it!"

"Asuna-san's right; go for it Ku!" suggested Negi.

He realized what he'd said. He just told his student to confess her feelings to him!

_"Maybe I do like her…"_ Negi thought.

"Thanks. I think I do that first chance I get, aru," said Ku, who then ran off to go ask Satsuki for some lunches.

Asuna turned to Negi and said, "I'm rather surprised. I never expected this from you at all, Negi-bozu."

Negi was shocked that another of his student had busted him, especially the one he didn't want to catch him.

"How'd you know?" Negi asked.

"Magic Neutralization is wonderful. Not only does it protect me from magic, it also lets me see through all magical disguises. So, may I ask why you're looking like Chao?" she asked.

"It's because of the paper you wrote, Asuna-san. You said that the class behaves differently when I'm not around, so I wanted to know how different," Negi replied.

"I see," said Asuna. "So, what do you plan on doing about Ku? You heard how much she likes you. Do you feel the same?"

Negi thought about this long and hard. He thought about all the times he and Ku shared, the battles they fought, the laughs giggled, the wounds given, and how happy he was whenever he was around her.

"…I would have to say yes, Asuna-san. I really do like her," Negi responded.

"Don't tell me; tell her!" said Asuna.

Before Asuna or Negi could say anything else, Ku returned with lunches for all three of them, Kaede alongside her.

"Wanna join us, Asuna?" Ku asked.

"Sure. Let me just get Konoka to take over," said Asuna, who went over to a corner of the room to get Konoka, who Negi saw was making out with Setsuna.

"Well, at least one of my theories was right," Negi thought with a smirk on his face.

The four of them went over to an empty table in another corner of the room and started eating lunch. Negi couldn't help but stare at Ku. With his newly realized feelings for the Chinese martial artist, he couldn't help but see her in a new light. He thought she was the most amazing person he'd ever met.

"You okay, Chao?" Kaede asked.

"I'm fine, Kaede-san," Negi replied.

"You sure, aru?" Ku added.

"Really, I'm fine," said Negi.

Just then, an alarm went off.

"Someone's approaching! Get ready everyone!" Ayaka shouted.

She took out her remote and pushed another button. The classroom instantly became normal again and everyone got out a book and started reading.

"Let me get to my class, Draco-kun! I wanna see my friends!" a female voice shouted.

"I can't let you do that. Come on, let's go get a milkshake or something! Anything but go to 3-A!" another voice, Draco's, shouted.

"Don't care! I wanna see Ku, Satsuki, and the others!" the first voice shouted.

The door flew wide open and Draco stood where the door was, trying to prevent the female voice from entering. She kicked him in the gut, sending him flying into the wall! The girl then entered the room.

Everyone, especially Ku, Negi, Asuna, and Kaede gasped. The girl who had just entered the room was Chao Lingshen!!!

"Hi everyone!" she greeted. "I'm back, and this time it's for good!"

Everyone stood there, jaws on the floor.

"What's with the looks?" Chao asked.

At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone trying to leave the room. She intercepted the person and was shocked to see that the person trying to leave was herself!

"And just who the hell are you?" Chao asked. "My doppleganger?"

"Uh…" Negi stuttered, trying to find a way out of this.

Chao made a step towards her double when Asuna and Kaede came to Negi's side.

"Nothing bad's going on here, so just let it be," said Asuna.

"Don't do it, Chao-san!" Draco shouted.

Unfortunately, Chao didn't listen. With lightning-fast speed, she whipped out a remote-like device and zapped her double with it. Everyone, except for Asuna, Kaede, and Draco, were doubly shocked that the Chao Lingshen that got zapped turned into Negi Springfield!

"Negi-sensei!?" Chao shouted.

"What the hell!?" most of the other students shouted.

Ku was super shocked to see this happen. The realization of what had happened hit her like a ton of bricks. She had told Negi how she truly felt without her knowing and he had posed as her best friend! She instantly broke into tears and ran out of the room.

"Ku-san!" Negi shouted, but she was long gone.

Asuna and Kaede grabbed Negi and they ran out of the room before anyone could recover from the shock. They took him back to his room, so he could be in normal clothes again.

After he changed, he asked Asuna and Kaede, "What do I do now?"

"You're such a baka, you know that!?" Asuna shouted. "You need to find Ku and make things right with her!"

"And if Chao, Ayaka, or anyone else tries to get in your way, we'll handle them, Negi-bozu," added Kaede.

"Thanks, you two," said Negi.

The three of them then ran off to find Ku. Negi knew exactly where to find her: the training ground they used so much. As they ran, they unfortunately ran into Chisame, Mana, and Setsuna.

"What the hell did you do that for!?" Chisame shouted.

"I cannot let the fact that you saw me naked go unnoticed," muttered Mana.

"Negi-sensei, what you did was dishonorable," said Setsuna.

"Negi, go on," said Asuna.

"We'll handle these three," said Kaede.

Negi dashed off to continue going to Ku, leaving Asuna and Kaede to their fight.

As Negi neared the training grounds, he kept his eyes peeled for Ku. Just then, a girl appeared in front of Negi.

"Chao-san!" Negi shouted.

"Negi-bozu, Draco-kun explained to me what happened. Sorry about busting you like that. I thought you were a bad guy," Chao apologized.

"It's okay; it was my fault for posing as you in the first place. I let my curiosity get the best of me," Negi explained.

"I know. Now let's go find my best friend and your future wife, Negi-bozu," said Chao.

"WIFE!?" Negi shouted.

"Oops," said Chao.

"It's okay, Chao-san," said Negi. "I know now that I really like her. I just hope I can make things right."

Chao smiled when she heard that. The two then dashed off to go find Ku. When they got to the training grounds, they found Ku sitting against a tree, crying. Negi started going forward, but Chao stopped him. She went to her instead. Chao kneeled next to Ku and said, "Hi there, Ku."

Ku looked up and saw Chao. "You imposter, aru?" she sobbed.

"No, it's the real me. And if you don't believe me…" Chao said, and then whispered something in Ku's ear.

Ku immediately stopped crying and cheered up.

"CHAO!" she shouted, tackling Chao to the ground.

"It's nice to see you as well, Ku," Chao replied. "So, why were you so sad?"

Ku then went on to explain how she'd told Negi how much she likes him while he was posing as Chao. Chao gave her a big hug.

"It's okay, Ku," said Chao. "In fact, I think he wants to talk to you right now." She then motioned for Negi to come over.

When Ku saw Negi, she got mad, tears flowing from her eyes again, and turned away.

"Ku-san, I just wanted to say how sorry I was for deceiving you today," Negi explained. "I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I had lots of fun hanging out with you today and I must admit, I was rather surprised to find out that you liked me. You're not the first one to. …But I came to a realization today when talking with Asuna-san. I realized how happy I was whenever I was around you and we did stuff together, today being no exception. My heart was then able to tell me what I was refusing to hear. Ku, I like you. A lot. Probably as much as you do, if not more."

Ku then turned around, no longer angry and tears still flowing, but they were tears of joy.

"You mean that?" she asked.

"I do," said Negi.

Ku hugged him and tackled him to the ground.

"I so happy!" she shouted.

The two then stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds.

"I love you, aru," Ku declared.

"…I love you as well," Negi cooed.

Then, their lips met in a passionate kiss only true lovers could experience. As they enjoyed the kiss, they heard clapping. They broke apart and saw Asuna, Chao, Kaede, and Draco standing there.

"About time," said Chao.

"What happened to Chisame-san, Mana-san, and Setsuna-san?" Negi asked.

"Let's just say Ako will be real busy tonight at the nurse's office," Asuna winked.

"Come on, everyone. Let's celebrate!" Draco shouted.

"Great idea, Draco-kun!" said Chao.

"Chao-san, why do you call Draco-sensei Draco-kun?" Kaede asked. Chao then grabbed Draco and pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Oh, that's why, de gozaru…"

"I'm happy! I get best friend, boyfriend, fun times, and party all in one day!" Ku shouted, and then kissed Negi on the cheek.

The six of then ran off to celebrate all the good that came this day. Meanwhile, back at 3-A's classroom…

Evangeline woke up with a jolt. She saw that Chachamaru was standing next to her.

"Ugh… What'd I miss?" Eva asked.

"Childhood curiosity at work, Master. Curiosity at work…" replied Chachamaru.

**Chao: That was a great story, Lunar! I'm happy Negi-bozu and Ku got together! And 3-A's has a secret casino? I never knew that!**

**Lunar: Thanks. Maya, this was for you and I hope you enjoyed it. As for the rest of you, I hope you liked it as well. Please review and let me know what you think of this.**


End file.
